Last Monday, the members of the Harford County Board of Education got word that their requested operating budget for next year would be under-funded by a total of $23,459,597 from state, local and other sources combined. This Monday, board members will decide what to do about it.
In a special meeting called to revise the FY12 operating budget, board members will consider amendments and vote on a recommended budget to be submitted to the Harford County Council later in the week, during work sessions planned by the council to discuss the budgets for county departments and outside agencies, including the public school system.
Below is the published agenda for the April 11, 2011 meeting of the Harford County Board of Education.
Published agendas are subject to change:
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2011
HCPS A. A. ROBERTY BUILDING
102 S. Hickory Avenue, Bel Air, MD 21014Board Open Session – 6:00 P.M. – Board Room
Board Closed Session – 6:05 P.M. Board Executive Conference Room
Board Business Meeting – 7:00 P.M. – Board Room7:00 P.M. Call to Order – Mark M. Wolkow, President
Quorum Roll Call
Adoption of Agenda
Pledge of Allegiance*7:05 P.M. Public Comment
*7:15 P.M. Board Committee Reports and Comments
Old Business
Action Item(s):*7:30 P.M. A. Decision on Revised FY 2012 HCPS Operating Budget
New Business
Presentation(s):*8:00 P.M. B. Superintendent’s Report
Closing
Future Meetings Review
Adjournment*Times are approximate
Reneging on the already negotiated employee raises will certainly not be enough to cover the entire $23 million shortfall. Any idea what else is slated to be cut from the budget?
No exhibits for tonight’s meeting posted on hcps.org as of yet.
how can the board and union “negotiate” raises when they didn’t have the funds to do so? How is anyone reneging on a deal that didn’t include the “people with the money” to give you the raise? Let’s have my children negotiate amongst themselves the allowances and then call me out for “reneging” their contract?
Am I missing something or is the board and union out of touch with the other depts among the county?
Because that’s just part of the bass-ackwards way they do things in Harford County. The school board has to negotiate with HCEA and come to an agreement so the superintendent can include teacher salaries and benefits in his budget request. Then he presents his request to the fiscal authorities who can give it their blessing or flush it.
That’s why Superintendent Tomback made all kinds of pay raise promises to teachers this year: because he knew the county wouldn’t fund them. Now when teachers are upset about not getting raises of any kind for the 3rd year in a row, he can blame the county exec and claim that he “went to bat” for “his” teachers, even though last year at this time he was underhandedly chopping their benefits.
The superintendent offered no recommendation on potential cuts last week and still no exhibits are posted for tonight’s meeting as of 6pm. Whatever happens, we will publish a summary asap.
BOE closed session ran long, Budget meeting didn’t start until 7:20 …
In the end the budget recommended by the Superintendent was approved as submitted. Mr. Frisch was the only school board member to offer any amendments in an attempt to save money but all were defeated. Interesting was that even though none of the amendments passed the budget was only approved on a 4 (Wolkow, Wheeler, Evans, Krchnavy) to 3 (Frisch, Grambo, Osman) vote. At would appear that things are changing on the school board and there may be a healthy move away from what has been business as usual. I think the elected members are making their presence felt.
I shouldn’t be surprised that several of the school board members including the President of the Board, kept trying to shut down debate and/or discussion. These are public funds financed solely by the taxpayers yet they don’t feel like it is worthy of discussion. I applaud Mr. Frisch for taking a lead and it is about time someone on the Board took on a leadership role.
AMEN KATE!!!! I am so glad that Mr. Walkow is stepping down. Now maybe something will get done.
Wolkow and Evans gone the end of June. Rumors are Osman will step down too. That means five new board members in July. Who will lead the board, Wheeler (has school system administration experience), Krchnavy (too much like Wolkow, watch her at board meetings), Frisch (retired cop/school teacher, very outspoken), Grambo (business background, mostly interested in budget issues)? Can and will they take control of a school system in need of real leadership?
Mr. F needs to make his point, summarize and shut up.When he goes on and on , everyone is turned off , completely off!!!!
It is refreshing to see someone actually bring issues to the school board for public debate. Perhaps it is more that you don’t like what Mr. F says than how he says it – and that is why you are turned off. There are many of us that think this is what is needed from a school board that many view as little more than a rubber stamp for the superintendent. This kind of public discussion and debate is long overdue. Mr. F is bringing up concerns and points of view we want to hear. I know there are many in the community, and teachers in our schools, that agree with him. So we are not turned off. Considering the importance of the issue and what was at stake it would appear that he at least he took the time to read the budget. I have noted that Mr. Wheeler also has a habit of long winded statements but I do not see you making a similar statement about him.
Let me guess. You are probably one of those untouchable upper level administrative types who had to sit through an extra board meeting this month to deal with the budget, and that probably cut into the time you wanted to be doing something else. Or maybe you are one of the board members that goes along to get along and thinks how dare anyone question how the super decided he wanted to spent the money. The fact that there is anybody willing to question what is going on in the school system is a breath of fresh air but it makes you nervous. It looks like the days of the good old boy network on the board is changing. I’ve seen more leadership out of Frisch and Grambo in the last four months than I have seen in the past several years of watching the board. Can’t wait for the next election to move more dead wood off the school board.
Tomback is a crook and politician he knows nothing about education or what hcps needs … This is the same guy who hired 3 new 6 figure positions as assistants last year so he could distance himself from the schools… Crook
Doesn’t anyone in this county think it’s odd how the central office went from a small old building to the size of a city block with state of the art technology and hundreds of central employees??? Did we really need that building or those positions please tell me how they impact our students?
Emails were sent out to critical school-based personnel today that mark the tip of the fall out from decisions made by the Superintendent and the Board of Education long before Monday’s closed business meeting.
Teacher Specialists, paid on the teachers’ pay scale to help other teachers learn how to implement interventions or how to work with students with specialized learning needs, were told today that they would be returning to the classroom. These are teachers who show other teachers the ropes. They collaborate with them to help them meet students’ needs, and advocate for the needs of students in conversations with supervisors who are conspicuously absent from school buildings– needing the permission of the principal to oversee the implementation of content curriculum.
Mentors are next. Mark my words. Although this position is somewhat guarded by COMAR, the full-time position as it stands is likely to be eliminated. The vast and deep system of support for 1st-3rd year teachers is going to vanish. But that may be okay, because many of them are going to have to vanish, too.
See, all of these school-based leadership supports are teachers… paid as teachers, working with teachers, serving in classrooms, and doing HARD work. And, while I can see the silver lining of putting the best of the best back in the classroom, that isn’t enough of a silver lining to justify the total impact of these decisions– the result of poor, detached, and condescending leadership.
The proposed budget made by the BOE to the CE was over two million dollars more than the system’s current operating expenses. The CE and the CC approved the entire amount to operate as is, and even gave a little more. The reason this school system is short over two million dollars is because the Superintendent and the people for whom he works negotiated cost of living increases with bargaining units knowing full-well that the county couldn’t afford the negotiated terms. Something has to give. This pushes Tomback’s personal restructuring agenda through– from high paid executive officers to model department chairs. Tomback knew EXACTLY what that budget meant for teacher specialists, mentor teachers, Instructional Facilitators, and new teachers. He knew exactly what was being negotiated, and he was willing to sacrifice these positions along with the people in them. Next, the system will declare it isn’t personal, and I suggest that you tell that the the person who is losing his/her job after decades of service– whether he/she is doing a good job or not.
Sure, the perk is that these more experienced teachers will be working directly with students. That is good no matter how you slice it. But, the fall out is that the county will lose the FUTURE of education.
College grads in the field of education… plan on living with Mom and Dad for a while if you plan on living in Harford County. No jobs here. Move along.
Recent grads and hires, it’s been a pleasure having you serve our students. I’m sorry the educational leadership of Harford County has let you and your students down this way.
I’m disgusted, and, yes, Chicken Little, the sky actually IS falling.
Speak up, Harford County. This is YOUR school system, and while you may not think all teachers are great, there are MANY, MANY, MANY who are. Any cuts that touch the schools and the services provided directly to the students and the teachers who serve them MUST be off limits.
Don’t look back. Look forward. Who are you going to hold accountable for this mess? How will you hold them accountable?
We’re all into the evaluating and judging of teachers. (And I challenge anyone who thinks it’s a cake walk to do it… you know, once Harford County can afford to hire you.)
It’s high time we look at administration and supervision. Who’s got to go? And, I suggest that we start at the top.
Board Members: You are letting children, parents, and teachers down. Elected or not, we are counting on YOU to stop the madness.
Mr. Frisch tried to find places to trim the fat or raise revenue but was turned away at every suggestion by other BOE members. Cut out travel for conferences, get rid of SWIPE, no transportation for redistricted 5th graders, parents help support athletics through nominal fees, eliminate IF’s and most mentors. Big and small ticket items alike. Just goes to show you most of the BOE is satisfied with the status quo.
GET RID OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL FACILITATORS!!!!!! That will save a bundle. And for the record I know that there are very good mentors at schools who work their butts off. The mentors at both of my schools DO NOTHING!!!! A waste!!!! We have older staff at both schools. No teachers are 3 years or less. We should not have them at our schools. A complete waste of money.
Mr. Frisch made this very same argument last night at the BOE meeting. He proposed eliminating all IF’s and mentor positions. He did recommend bringing back mentors to select schools on a contractual basis. His suggestion was ignored by the rest of the BOE. It seems like he is the only one thinking up there.
That will probably always be the case when you have a divided school board. The school board is also not used to having anybody speak up on the board. Mr. Frisch has already won over many teachers.
As a teacher Mr. Frisch knows first hand where significant waste can be found in the school system. Some other BOE members should start paying attention and follow his lead.
Lord, can you imagine if Jansen Robinson had won that seat? What a disaster that would have been.
@watcher
The voters must have been paying attention.
My wife’s school had a need for a mentor as they had 16 new teachers this year. Some schools do not need them.
The mentors are useless and so are the 6 figure IF positions! What do we need 3 assistant principals and an IF for? Just eliminating those from all schools will save about 1.5 million. Most mentors spend all day in their office working on national board certification or grad school on company time and new teachers rely on experienced co-workers…
Well, I can think of at least one high school AP who is worse than a waste of space…plays favorites with teachers and students, unequal application of discipline and enforcement of school rules (reams some kids out for wearing a hat, but completely ignores it when other kids are wearing one as an example), good teachers putting in transfers to ANY available school just so they don’t have to deal with him anymore, young teachers quitting partly because of how he treats them (basically telling them they suck at teaching rather than trying to help them or get them help), etc. That would be an instant morale boost at that school if he were demoted or removed, though it probably won’t happen.
Unfortunately Beth that happens at a lot of schools. I used to work at one. Thank God I was able to get out. I know exactly what you mean. We need to get rid of a lot of administrators in this county and replace them.
Yes Tickedteacher, it does seem that we need to get rid of a lot of administrators in this school system, but most don’t need to be replaced.
Identify this administrator. If they are this bad the school board should know about it. Some of them read this blog.
JC you can’t name names on here without the fear of being sued!!! As well as retaliation from that administrator.
Then identify the school.
I am watching the Board meeting and it’s about time someone started questioning many of the schools expenditures. Problem with “discussing” many of these issues is that the Board President has too much control about what gets brought up at meetings. I am sure that if Mr. Wolkow could get away with it, Mr. Frisch would never be able to bring up much of the fluff. School system needs a major reality check.
He also brought up IF’s. I have been asking for years how a principal could know what teachers are doing when they aren’t involved in what is going on in the classroom. They used to have this job until school system started hiring more administrators.
1 administrator per grade is sometimes not enough. Depending on the school, and how many teachers they have determines administrator count. I am not an admin by the way.
The next few weeks will be very telling, a great number of central office jobs were cut. Some of those will have to go back to the classroom, along with IF’s, and mentor teachers. So even though they say teachers aren’t being cut, there will be some teacher lose their job with the county this year. What the number is we will have to see.